An armed man entered the Rialto police station where he was shot. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News on Dec. 5, 2022.
An armed man followed a police patrol vehicle through a security entrance Monday at the Rialto police station, where he was shot in a parking lot, police told NBCLA.
In a news conference Monday night, Rialto Police Chief Mark Kling said that an armed man followed a police officer into the secured parking area and pointed what appeared to be a rifle at the officer before he was shot.
Rialto police said there are only two ways into the station, and they are both secure. Police cruisers have a remote to open the gate, and that is how officers get in.
Rialto police said they went office-by-office to make sure all staff were OK following the shooting.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Security footage showed a Dodge Charger following the police officer around 4:30 p.m. inside the lot. He managed to get in before the gates closed.
The officer happened to be on a food run and was dropping off food to a co-worker.
The footage also shows a number of officers running out of the police station surrounding the man who was shot multiple times by the officer. He was taken to a local hospital and is now in stable condition.
News
Top news of the day
"We do not have a motive, we haven't been able to talk with him at this point -- the suspect is actually in stable condition at a local trauma center," Kling said. "So we're hoping through our investigation we will be able to determine what his motive is."
Aerial footage from the scene captured by NewsChopper4 showed a weapon on the ground of the parking lot that resembled a rifle.
Rialto said it was an "AR 15 style rifle," but it wasn't clear if it was real or an airsoft replica.
Police are still investigating the man's motive but say it was a targeted attack.
